Neto to Lead Semester Conversion Efforts

Posted on February 28, 2014

Dr. Francelina Neto, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, will lead the university’s semester conversion initiative.

Dr. Francelina Neto, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, has been named by Provost Marten denBoer as director of the semester conversion initiative. The campus will convert to a semester calendar in fall 2017.

Neto will chair the University Semester Conversion Steering Committee and oversee the university’s conversion from a quarter- to a semester-based system. Working with numerous individuals, groups, and offices across campus, she will lead the development and execution of a detailed semester conversion plan.

“This is a complex project that will require collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition from quarters to semesters,” Neto says. “I look forward to consulting and collaborating with faculty, staff, students and administrators and successfully transitioning to a new calendar system.”

Neto, who joined Cal Poly Pomona in 1998, has a range of service and leadership experience on campus, including chairing the civil engineering department and serving on the Academic Senate Executive Committee and numerous other college and university committees. In addition, as co-PI, she has secured several grants from the National Science Foundation, JPL, and the Army Research Office in 3D data collection systems and visualization techniques.

“I am delighted that Dr. Neto has agreed to take on this important task,” Provost denBoer says. “She commands great respect across the university, and her abilities and experience will be valuable to the success of this major university-wide initiative.”

The 23-member steering committee, which will have faculty, staff, and student representation, is responsible for developing and implementing a conversion plan, as well as monitoring the execution of the plan. A number of sub-committees will address specific components of the project. More information about the committee structure can be found at the Calendar Conversion website.

Faculty who are interested in serving on the steering committee or subcommittees should submit their interest to the Academic Senate. Students who are interested in serving should contact the ASI president.

About the Author

Esther Chou Tanaka is the senior coordinator of digital communication in the Office of Public Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona. She writes about central administration topics, and works on 75th anniversary projects, the university’s website redesign, marketing, digital communications and social media.